Recently, one Taiwanese politician compared another to Emperor Huidi of the Jin Dynasty, as a term of abuse. Huidi of the Jin (r. 290-307 A.D.) was notorious for his stupidity. And his mismanagement of imperial affairs substantially ensured the brevity of the Western Jin regime and the long chaos of the period known as the Wei-Jin North and South Dynasties.We discuss Huidi's lamentable career as well as (by way of Jefferson and Lincoln) what it means for Taiwanese politicians on both sides of the aisle to invoke figures from ancient Chinese history.Support the show

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